pub date: November 15, 2011
publisher: Harper/Collins
pages: 338
source: library
appeals: romance, super powers, dystopian, future,
content: swears, some steamy kissing scenes, violence
thoughts:
I really, really enjoyed this book. I read it twice, the second time more of a skim, but I read it front to back and didn't skip around like I tend to do on rereading. It was just so fun. Which I think is an interesting way to describe it since it's rather a darker book.
I loved how in the beginning Juliette's thoughts are so scattered and disjointed. There was such a progression of character development shown through language and ideas, from the girl forgotten in an asylum, to the strong, confident character that the reader is left with at the end of the novel. Her thoughts get clearer, stronger, and more cohesive. It was just awesome writing. And such beautiful language. Mafi's description of feeling was unique and interesting. Though I will admit, at times, it did get a little much for me. But it was still really amazing.
Another well-done progression...the romance. That was some nice romance. I like nice romance in my books, and this one was really nicely done. I loved the history of Adam and Juliette, how they go from antagonists to friends to more. It was rather exciting to read, as much as the overall plot.
I loved the ending. Loved it. I cannot wait for the next book in the series because I am so excited about where Mafi took her characters and where they're going to be going. It was just so fun.
summary:
Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.
pub date: November 8, 2011
publisher: Roaring Brook Press
pages: 368
source: for review at Kiss the Book Blog
appeals: dystopic, political, series,
content: there is some talk about sex, but not graphic--just that this is a book that talks about babies
thoughts:
I was worried about this book. I loved the first in the series, Birthmarked. And from Prized summary, I wasn't too excited about this one. I was afraid it would just be another dystopic society, another set of problems, a new set of characters. And didn't appeal to me. But I decided to take the risk of being disappointed.
And yay! I wasn't disappointed. I was enthralled. I still love Birthmarked more, but this one built on the previous story and I was so glad! I more especially glad because Leon was back! I was worried he wouldn't show up in this book, or if he did he wouldn't be in it very much. But he was in it, and it was a lot. YAY!
A lot of the plot is based on science, once again, which I really enjoyed. It surprises me how much I liked the science in Birthmarked and Prized. I think it adds a dimension to the story that is appealing. It's still about survival, but not with wars or food shortages or environmental issues like tsunamis and earthquakes. It's more about babies. Keeping the humans alive through future generations. Which is an interesting premise, especially for YA.
It is a new society, but just like with Enclave, it is so interesting and original. And aggravating, too. Some of those characters were just so hardheaded and I wanted to reach into the book and slap them unconscious. Which, you know, strong emotional responses to a book, even when it's aggravation, means it's doing it's job.
Overall, it was good.
However, it was also frustrating. Gaia wasn't my favorite in this book, nor did these few months of her story show her in the most flattering light. I didn't even much like her for half the book because of her decisions. She was one of the characters I wanted to slap. At one point she says to herself (paraphrased), "I've heard of love triangles, but never love squares!" Yes, that is correct. Not just two boys, but THREE. And if you know how I feel about triangles (I hate them) just imagine my disgust with a square! One of the things that I hate about love triangles is the girl leading on two boys. Make a decision! Stick with it! So when she leads on three boys, however unintentionally, it was annoying. UGH!
I loved how the book ended. It sets up the third in the trilogy so well and I am excited to see how it will end. I'm am hoping Gaia does not disappoint.
summary:
Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?
pub date: October 4, 2011
publisher: HarperTeen
pages: 336
source: NetGalley
format: ebook
appeals: dystopic, romance, adventure
content: a lot of good stuff
thoughts:
I kind of had mixed feelings about this book. Some things I loved, other things not so much.
This review has some spoilery bits, so beware.
The world Carey created was pretty creepy and scary. I could buy into a King of America, even his setting up schools for girls to be educated and getting work groups together to do manual labor to rebuild the city. Tyrants after disaster--good start.
However, I love dystopic world building that makes sense to me, and this one had some stuff that didn't make sense to me. First, why would the king educate these girls just...
HERE COMES THE SPOILERS
...to lock them up and have them have baby after baby to populate his new world. Incubators do not need to be educated, but neither do they have to be 18. Maybe he has a soft spot for children and can only abuse people once they're adults.
Also, there are really young boys found wandering around (which makes my above hypothesis completely off), why are those children unacceptable to the king to raise in his city? What makes the student's babies so much better?
Another issue I had was with Eve. She was destruction personified. Because of her decisions, so many other people suffered. I could see why she did what she did--she was a rather naive girl--but I was still angry with her. Especially at the end. I found that aspect of the novel frustrating and hard to deal with.
That is the end of the Spoilers
Besides the above, I did enjoy this book. As Eve goes about her journey, the landscape and people she meets really brought this waste of a world alive for me. I enjoyed the characters. Eve meets a lot of different characters and I felt they were well flushed out. I loved the little boys she meets and her semi-friend, Arden, who she travels with.
I loved the romance. Eve was raised to see all men as evil. Her relationship with Caleb is so well developed that I could see her perceptions of men (or at least some men) change. It wasn't sudden and it wasn't unrealistic. It was perfect. And the sacrifices Eve and Caleb make for each other are really great.
Enjoyable read, but not a must have.
summary:
The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.
Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.
pub date: October 4, 2011
publisher: HarperTeen
source: NetGalley
format: digital
appeals: mystery, boarding school, big-brother-is-watching
content: violence, but it's not graphic violence (for the most part)
thoughts:
Wow, wow, wow. What a great, exciting, wonderful novel! I really love this book.
Benson was a very sympathetic character. He was locked in a boarding school with high walls and lots of security. No one had ever escaped and those that try, die. All Benson wanted was to escape. It was his main focus for the whole book. And I am impressed with Wells, because Benson so easily could have become annoying and whiny. But he wasn't. He was focused and proactive and acted towards his goal.
There are a lot of twists in the plot and wow, how I loved them. I just had to keep reading to find out how Benson would handle everything. Maxfield Academy was a very believable environment, with believable teens dealing with their situation in a believable way.
What makes it better is that Wells is a Utah author! Yay for Utah!
It reminded me of The Maze Runner by James Dashner, but way better. I wasn't a fan of the Maze Runner, but I so totally am a fan of Variant.
summary:
Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.
He was wrong.
Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.
Where breaking the rules equals death.
But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.
pub date: May 3, 2011
publisher: HarperCollins
pages: 496
source: ALA Midwinter
appeals: dystopian,
challenges: Debut, 350 pages
thoughts:
This book was phenomenal. Every good thing you've heard about it is very true. When I read it in January, there weren't any blurbs about the plot, just something vague about a choice transforming you. So I went in blind. Knowing nothing. Which made it that much better. Everything was a surprise.
Certain aspects of it reminded me of other books. It reminded me of The Hunger Games, mostly because of the main character, Tris. She has the same determination and inner strength and brilliance that Katnis does. It reminded me of Ender's Game because of the idea of a battle school. As well as bullying and the bond that forms in a harsh environment. It reminded me of The Giver because of the idea of sorting, of one moment determining the path of the rest of their lives. It reminded me of Matched because of the gated city--what's on the other side?
Even though it reminded me of all of these different books, it stands on its own. It is original and exciting and suspenseful. The dynamics of the different city groups, as well as the different groups within Dauntless, was cool to read. Especially how Tris interacts with them all. How they see her and how she them. How she responds to what happens, internally and externally. It's neat to see a character act one way but feel another.
Tris is an amazing character. She has all these emotions warring inside of her--fear, anger, bravery, hate. But she's very self aware. And she is very motivated to succeed.
Theres a little love story going on, too. Good stuff. The development of the relationship--awesome! The feelings were so gradual...so much romantic tension. I must say that the kissing scenes in the book were great. I'm just being honest...
Though it's frustrating to be in the middle (or beginning) of so many series right now, I am still glad Divergent is a series. I want to know more...about Tris and her boy, about her family, about the factions, about her friends. Sigh...the waiting begins...
blurb:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
pub date: April 26, 2011
publisher: Balzer + Bray
pages: 336
source: NetGalley
appeals: future, dystopia
content: a lot of talk about sex, some swearing including the f-bomb
thoughts:
I'm not really sure what to write about this book. I'm not sure what I think.
First of all, I should research books better before I read them. There is A LOT of talk about sex in this book. It's practically all about teens having sex (though the actual act isn't ever described). Yes, I am rather naive. I did expect some, just not so much. If I had done research about the book and knew this before picking it up, I would never have picked it up.
However, I did pick it up. And I got rather interested in this really, EXTREMELY disturbing story McCafferty writes. There were a few times I almost put it down because of content, but I was so intrigued by the story that I didn't, I couldn't. I kept reading. I read it on my nook and for some reason it wouldn't tell me what page I was on, so I didn't know I was at the end until the acknowledgement page popped up. And then I was UPSET! It's such an abrupt ending, like stopping in the middle of the story. And I really wanted to know what happened next.
Like I said, not sure what to think about this book!
McCafferty wrote a future, dystopic novel that is amazing. One that is extremely disturbing, but utterly believable. I mean, the propaganda geared towards teens about having babies--ack! The young age of these teen mothers and would be mothers. The emotional and physical and social effects of teens having babies so young, just to give them away...so very upsetting. But I really believed it.
For example--parent's selling their children's bodies for 9 months at a time to make babies for the highest bidder. I watched 5 minutes of Toddlers and Tiaras the night I finished this book(had never seen it before) and I totally saw how this could happen. Another example--the glamour of being a sperm donor. Think Justine Bieber. How many teen girls would want him to be the father of their baby? How many parents would want his DNA in their babies? Imagine the paparazzi attacks!!! I can see it.
Everything was meant to be disturbing and make the reader think, so that was good. But the religion bothered me differently. The two religious viewpoints were very extreme. It bothered me in a more personal sense. Where's the more rational religious look at infertility and rampant teen pregnancy?
So, yeah. Read at your own risk. But very interesting. And rather addictive.
summary:
When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.
Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.
Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.
When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common
pub date: January 11, 2011
publisher: Razerbill
pages: 398
source: librarything Early Reviewer
audience: upper teen
appeal: space, future, dystopian, romance, mystery
challenges: debut author challenge, 350 page challenge
content: a very few swear words, an incident of sexual assault, rather disturbing attitude towards sex that ties into the plot
goodreads blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.
me:
I've had this book since November and waited this long to read it. Why?!?!? It was fantastic. The plot was not what I was expecting, but then when I think back to before I read the book, I'm not really sure what I was expecting. But whatever it was, it wasn't what I got.
There were so many surprises in the plot. A lot about how life on Godspeed had evolved into something rather disturbing. Then there were the lies and secrets and the mystery of the murders. I liked Elder and am curious who he will be in the next book. And Amy was a strong, likable character.
And that is it. I'm feeling rather lazy at the moment and so many other people have raved about this book, that I'm not going to write more. Which makes this not so much a review as it is a recommendation...it's a fantastic adventure, you should pick it up!
